The historic centre

At the southern end of B-dul Brătianu is Bucharest’s historic centre: mostly run-down and ramshackle, it has been undergoing painfully slow regeneration for years and is now the focal point for the city’s best nightlife, with a massive recent influx of bars, cafés and restaurants. Just southwest of Strada Lipscani stands the diminutive Stavropoleos Church; built in the 1720s, it has gorgeous, almost arabesque, patterns decorating its facade, and an elegant columned portico.